Cafe POS system for coffee shops and small cafés
A good cafe POS system is fast at the counter, understands drink options, and keeps working when the wifi drops. Here is how a café day runs on Epidom, and which plan covers what.
What a coffee shop POS has to handle
A café is not a corner store. One latte comes with a size, a milk, a syrup and an extra shot. The line builds up at 8 a.m., and the order has to reach the barista without anyone shouting it across the room. A POS for a small café should cover a few basics.
- Picking items in one or two taps, by category or search.
- Options per drink: size, milk, sweetness, add-ons.
- An order queue and tickets for the bar or kitchen.
- Receipts on paper or by email.
- Selling on when the internet goes down.
Fast counter sales with options
On Epidom's POS you sell by category or search, on a tablet, phone or computer. Menu items carry options such as size and add-ons, so one latte stays one item instead of five near-duplicates. An order can be paid with several methods at once, for example part cash and part card. Service charge and tax are saved as presets, and refunds are there for the inevitable wrong order.
- Build the menu — Create categories like espresso, tea and pastries, then add items with photos, prices and size or add-on options.
- Set tax and service charge — Pick the presets that match your café so every receipt adds up the same way.
- Connect a printer — Bluetooth thermal printers (58 mm or 80 mm) can print receipts, kitchen tickets and bar tickets.
- Start selling — Tap the item, choose the options, take payment, and the order drops into the queue.
The order queue and bar or kitchen tickets
Every order, from the counter or from your storefront page, lands in a queue that moves from New to Preparing, Ready and Served. The barista sees what to make next, and the cashier sees what is ready to call out. Tickets can show up on a kitchen display with a sound alert, or print on a bar or kitchen printer.
One kitchen display screen is included in the POS plan. If you want several screens routed by station (kitchen and bar), that comes with the Operations plan.
A menu page and a QR code for your tables
Every café gets a public page at epidom.fr/@your-cafe with your logo, hours, Instagram and WhatsApp links, and the full menu with photos and prices. That page is free forever. Print its QR code and put it on tables or by the door, and guests can read the menu without a laminated card. A sold-out item is one switch away from disappearing from the list.
Online orders from your regulars
On the POS plan the same page takes orders: dine-in with a table number, takeaway, or delivery by the café itself. For now these orders are pay-at-the-counter. The POS gets a sound and a device notification, and the cashier marks the order paid. It suits regulars who order ahead on the way in. Keep the delivery apps for being found by new people, and point your regulars to your own ordering link.
When the wifi drops
A café cannot close the register because the router died. With offline mode, the POS keeps taking sales. They are stored on the device and synced when the connection returns, with their original time. Opening a shift, cash movements and refunds still need a connection, so open your shift before the rush.
Which plan does what
- Free: your storefront page, menu and QR code. No online ordering.
- POS, $14.99 a month ($12.49 a month on the annual plan): the POS, order queue, one kitchen display, printers, online ordering and offline mode. It starts with a 14-day free trial.
- Operations, $29.99 a month ($24.99 a month yearly): stock and recipes with automatic cost per drink, staff schedules and attendance, shifts with cash counts, kitchen display by station, finance reports, discounts and loyalty points, up to 3 outlets.
A single café starting out is usually fine on POS. Move to Operations when you want to know what each drink costs you, have beans and milk deduct from stock as you sell, or calculate barista pay from attendance. Prices are before tax.
Questions
How much does a cafe POS system cost on Epidom?
The POS plan is $14.99 a month, or $12.49 a month billed yearly, and begins with a 14-day free trial. Operations is $29.99 a month ($24.99 yearly) and adds stock, recipes, staff and finance reports. The storefront page with menu and QR code is free. Prices are before tax.
Can I set size, milk and sweetness options on drinks?
Yes. Menu items support options such as size and add-ons, so the cashier and the customer pick them on the same order.
Does the POS keep working if the wifi goes down?
Yes. On the POS plan the cashier keeps selling without internet. Sales are kept on the device and sync when the connection is back, with their original time.
Can guests order and pay from a QR code on the table?
On the POS plan guests can order from your page with a table number. For now they pay at the counter, where the cashier marks the order paid. Online payment on the storefront is not available.
What devices and printers does it work with?
It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer and can be installed as an app. Receipts and tickets print on Bluetooth thermal printers (58 mm or 80 mm, ESC/POS), or you can send a PDF or email receipt.